Experts share tips on keeping holiday plants throughout the year

Chuza Wooten, a sales associate at The Flower Shoppe, in Jacksonville, looks over a Christmas cactus Wednesday afternoon.

John Althouse/The Daily News

By TABITHA CLARK - Daily News Staff

Published: Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 08:05 AM.

Christmas is over, but that doesn’t mean that holiday plants have to go out with it.

According to local experts, there are a few simple ways to keep holiday plants like poinsettias, Christmas cactus and amaryllis looking good all year long.

“All three of these plants grow best in a brightly lit, (60-75 degree) area away from cold or dry drafts,” Lisa Rayburn, Extension Agent and Horticulturalist with the Onslow County Branch of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension stated in a press release.

Douglas Tramper of The Flower Shoppe, located at 321 Western Blvd., said that drafts can dry out the plant. But that’s not the only thing that shortens their lifespan.

“The main way people kill these plants is by over watering them,” he said.

Gerri Brinson of the Onslow Nursery, located at 566 Rhodestown Road, said poinsettias and amaryllis should be watered about once a week only.

“Now, for the Christmas cactus, don’t water it but once a month,” she said.

Christmas is over, but that doesn’t mean that holiday plants have to go out with it.

According to local experts, there are a few simple ways to keep holiday plants like poinsettias, Christmas cactus and amaryllis looking good all year long.

“All three of these plants grow best in a brightly lit, (60-75 degree) area away from cold or dry drafts,” Lisa Rayburn, Extension Agent and Horticulturalist with the Onslow County Branch of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension stated in a press release.

Douglas Tramper of The Flower Shoppe, located at 321 Western Blvd., said that drafts can dry out the plant. But that’s not the only thing that shortens their lifespan.

“The main way people kill these plants is by over watering them,” he said.

Gerri Brinson of the Onslow Nursery, located at 566 Rhodestown Road, said poinsettias and amaryllis should be watered about once a week only.

“Now, for the Christmas cactus, don’t water it but once a month,” she said.

Rayburn stated that plants should only be watered when the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch and the container feels light when lifted.

“If these plants are kept too wet, the roots will rot,” she said.

Brinson said that a well-kept poinsettia can last a year or two, and Tramper said he’s heard of a woman who’s had hers for three or four years.

Rayburn stated that while poinsettias will keep more than a year, they rarely look as nice as they did the first year.

“For most people, it makes sense to compost poinsettias when they start to look ragged and buy new ones next Christmas,” she stated.

She also stated that Christmas cactuses and amaryllis tend to keep better, and improve, over time.

“When your Christmas cactus finishes blooming, pinch a few segments off the end of each branch to encourage plants to stay full and lush,” Rayburn stated. The cactus needs to be fertilized twice a month, and once the last frost has passed, it can be moved outside to an area with partial sunlight.

“Bring your cactus back indoors in October before the first threat of frost,” she stated. “Your cactus will begin to form buds as the day length shortens.”

It should bloom again the next Christmas.

Tramper said that you can actually stimulate the cactus to bloom more by giving it plant food that contains bloom boost.

As far as the amaryllis, Rayburn stated that the plant grows well outdoors in the Onslow County area, but when planted outside, it will bloom in spring rather than in winter.

Brinson said that when someone receives a plant in a basket, they should take it out of the basket and transfer it to a flower pot.

“Before you put it in the pot, put some hay in the bottom, and put your plant overtop that,” she said. “The moisture will go into the straw and supply moisture to the roots.”

With these few tips and tricks, holiday plants from 2012 may be around to brighten up the 2013 holiday.

For more information on caring for holiday and other plants, call the Onslow County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension at 910-455-5873.

Contact Daily News Reporter Tabitha Clark at 910-219-8454 or Tabitha.Clark@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TabithaLClark or friend her on Facebook.